“The process of the seafood business starts the moment the fish is out of water. Freshness once lost cannot be regained. There is no way of restoring it after decay sets in.” Faraz Javeed
Dealing with procuring, processing & distributing frozen food and using technology for successful preservation in keeping with HACCP protocols, the seafood business is where quality and hygiene are non-negotiable. The Kochin-based entrepreneur Faraz Javeed, CEO, Abad Foods-the domestic division of Abad Fisheries Pvt. Ltd, offers insights into various value-additions in seafood, from the time fresh catch is purchased at auctions to delivery as per customer specifications
The importance of hygiene during handling fresh catch, cold chain, transportation, water/ice quality, freezing, storage, packing and dispatch differ in the domestic and commercial markets where big firms are involved.
The process of the seafood business starts the moment the fish is out of water. “Freshness once lost cannot be regained. There is no way of restoring it after decay sets in.” Product quality is ensured at this stage through various procurement phases.
Following the catch, when the journey time to the shore gets longer, the quality of seafood would not be optimum. Larger vessels undertake longer voyages to recover cost of operations as fuel is expensive and so are the manpower cost and fishing tools. Larger vessels undertake a 10 or 14-day voyage. The fish harvested on the last days are usually fresher. The shorter the journey time, the fresher the fish.
Collection & Preservation
Various technologies are used depending on the type of fishing operation, duration at sea, and intended market. Refrigeration & ice-based preservation methods include flake ice, crushed ice, slurry ice (liquid ice) & chilled or refrigerated seawater (CSW/RSW), which rapidly cool fish to slow bacterial growth.
Freezing technologies such as blast freezing (-30°C to -40°C), plate freezing, brine freezing, and cryogenic freezing (using liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide) ensure long-term preservation by minimizing ice crystal formation.
Modified Atmosphere Storage (MAS) techniques, including vacuum packing and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, help slow spoilage by adjusting oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen levels.
Live fish holding methods like recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and well boats keep fish alive in oxygenated tanks. Additionally, chemical and natural preservatives such as salt, vinegar, citrus extracts, bacteriocins, chitosan, and essential oils are used to inhibit spoilage and extend shelf life.
“The post-harvest handling of seafood is where all the problems begin. The moment a fish comes out of the water it is alive. The point is how you are handling. In most of the developed countries, be it India, Japan, Norway or USA, gutting & gilling is done onboard and is not brought to the shore.”
Larger fish like tuna, marlin and swordfish are usually gutted before bringing them to shore. There is loss of maybe 15 per cent weight in this process and many fishermen are reluctant to do that. In the domestic market, customers demand that the fish come whole, as mutilated fishes are not preferred.
“We use RO (reverse osmosis) water to avoid contamination. The tests extend to 100 parameters and the only water which passes the test is RO. Even the ice is made from RO water. Most of the time, the ice available in the market is good, however, “the problem is many of the ice factories may have a sand filter, a basic filtration system before they make the ice. It will not be reverse osmosis as it is an expensive process. European Union standards are more stringent than the WHO ones and the use of ice made of RO water is mandatory to export there.”
Hygiene Protocols
The health of seafood handlers is constantly checked for communicable diseases and health cards are maintained. Essentially, the personal hygiene of workers is largely protocol based. Be it using of washrooms or hand hygiene or be it utensils used in the processing unit, such as knives, surfaces, etc., are based on SOPs.
“The FSSAI and other standards have been there for a few years now. There was nothing like this before in India and people did not understand the importance of food safety.” For example, street vendors handling food improperly in the domestic market, cutting fish by the gutters with flies around, can be spotted. “When you have proper industries functioning as per international protocols, all the norms need to be followed,” especially those dealing with the export market.
“All our factories have in-house laboratories for all basic tests, quality assurance and quality control.” There is also online quality control and others who visit factories during and at every stage of processing to audit. “Detailed documentation is maintained in these labs, which are almost like mini-factories. Testing norms are designed in such a way that you cannot manipulate the results.”
Processing Processes
The seafood processing begins as soon as the fishing boats land at the harbour. “It starts early in the morning around 3:30am when the catch is auctioned. My suppliers assess the fish, looking at the grade, size and weight before buying. From that point on, I have control in terms of quality and other aspects. The rest of that day’s catch goes to the local markets. Here there are no standards followed.” One would never know if people handling the fish have communicable diseases. Well, since the fish is cooked, consumers are safe. However, for a Sushi preparation, procuring fish from the domestic market would be a risk.
“The supplier could collect it from multiple sources, consolidate it and bring it to the processing unit after making sure it is properly boxed and iced. Once it reaches the factory, de-icing is done before the processing. Depending on the orders, it is either staked or filled. It is at this point that the quality of blades, water, ice and manpower hygiene come into effect. A lot of these aspects are invisible, and one does not know if precautions have been followed or not. It is a very critical aspect, which is why we have audits.”
Processing within 12 hours is an ideal target; given an outer limit of up to 24 hours. “Anything which comes into our factory is processed within 24 hours. The next step is freezing. Again, very critical and professional freezers such as air blast freezers are used. The temperature is -450C.”
To make a comparison, freezers in homes are designed for up to -200C. This is to prevent bacteria from multiplying, especially in a tropical, humid climate, such as India.
Freezing & Transportation
“Freezing does not mean adding cold into a product but removing heat by air blasting. Freezing removes heat from the product, brings it down to zero, then puts it in cold storage where it is -200C. The need is to keep it below -18.50C to prevent bacterial activity and maintain the cold chain till it reaches the consumer at the same temperature.” This process is basically food preservation and safety. “The entire cold chain is maintained all the way through, from the warehouse, into the vehicle for transport to another warehouse, to retail or into a container for exports.”
“Freezing itself is a preservative. The only other thing to be taken care of is dehydration. In a cold environment, fishes dehydrate.” After freezing, the fish is dipped in water. A thin layer of ice forms around the product, known as glaze. This ice coating acts as a protective barrier, preventing freezer burn and maintaining quality during storage and transportation. Glazing also helps remove the moisture from the product during long-term cold storage.
Following this, the glazed fishes are placed in something like a sleeve of plastic or other material, then put inside a master carton with a master bag on it. This forms three layers of packaging.
Several promising new materials are in the development stage. One university in the UK has come up with plastic-like material derived from fish scales and shrimp shells. Material from corn and other vegetable products are being researched. These are expensive and still in the nascent stage and it will take time before plastic is replaced. Once regulations are imposed, alternatives to plastic will be standardised.